Menthu, god of Egypt

Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses for kids - Menthu

The Mythology & History of ancient Egypt surrounding Menthu, Egyptian sun god of warfare and protector of the gods

Menthu, god of EgyptDiscover the legends and myths and religious beliefs surrounding Menthu, the Egyptian sun god of warfare and protector of the gods. Menthu was closely associated with Horus and both gods were depicted as partial or complete falcon configurations. Menthu, also known as Montu, wore a double-plumed crown on his head, complete with sun discs and the rearing cobra uraeus. Menthu was associated with the Buchis bull, the Egyptian holy bull of Hermonthis, that was the living image of the god Menthu. Additional, interesting facts and information about ancient Egypt, and its mysterious gods and goddesses is also available via:

Who was Menthu?Menthu was the Egyptian sun god of warfare and protector of the gods. Menthu was a very ancient god associated with raging bulls, strength and war. His likeness to a raging bull resulted in the worship of the Buchis Bull, called the (the Bakha) at Hermonthis.

Facts about MenthuThe following facts and profile provides a fast overview of Menthu:

Menthu Profile & Fact File

Egyptian Name:

Menthu. Alternative names: Montu, Mont, Month, Monthu. The meaning of his name was "nomad".

Role & Function:

The function of Menthu is described as being the sun god of warfare and protector of the gods

Status:

Member of the Triad of Medamud with his consort Rattawy and the child-god Harpocrates

Symbols:

The Buchis bull, the Ankh, the Was Scepter and the double plumed crown

Cult Center:

Thebes (the site of the major temples of Luxor and Karnak) and Arment (Hermonthis). The cult of Menthu focused on the animal which became known as the Buchis bull

Titles:

"Menthu, Lord of Thebes"

Name in Hieroglyphics:

Translation of Hieroglyphics for Menthu: The owl hieroglyph represents the letter 'M'. The water ripple is the letter N. The knot hieroglyph for the letters 'th' and the quail chick hieroglyph is for the alphabetic vowel letter 'u'.

The Role of MenthuThe role and duties of Menthu were as:

Protector of the gods

Sun god

God of warfare and courage

The Symbols of MenthuThe symbols of Menthu include:

The Buchis bull representing strength and war

The Ankh representing eternal life

The Was Scepter a symbol of divine power and an emblem of authority

The double plumed crown

Weapons of ancient Egypt

Menthu in Egyptian MythologyMenthu, the Egyptian god of warfare, featured in the stories, myths and legends in Egyptian Mythology especially relating to the Buchis Bull. The consort of Menthu was the cow goddess Raet (Raettawy), and their child was Harpocrates, together the three gods formed the Triad of Medamud. The location of the ancient city of Medamud (from the Ancient Egyptian Madu) was in Upper Egypt about 8 km east-north from Thebes (Luxor).

Menthu and the goddess Raet (Rattawy)The consort of Menthu was Raet, or Rattawy, the 'Sun of the Two Lands' was a sun goddess and the female counterpart of Ra. The Greek name of Raet was Ratus who became identified with the ancient Greek goddess Leto. Raet was occasionally depicted wearing a vultures crest the emblem of a protector of Upper Egypt (south). More often Raet was depicted in a similar fashion to the cow goddess Hathor, the Egyptian sky goddess of love, joy and fertility, wearing a head dress of cows horns and a sun disk which, like Menthu, occasionally had two plumes on top. The association of Raet with Hathor, the cow goddess, links her with Menthu who was the personification of the Buchis bull god.

Menthu and the Triad of MedamudThe Triad of Medamud consisted of Menthu the god of warfare, the cow goddess Raet and Harpocrates (as Horus the child). When the Greeks conquered Egypt under Alexander the Great, they transformed the Egyptian Horus into their Hellenistic god known as Harpocrates meaning "Horus the Child"). The location of the ancient city of Medamud (from the Ancient Egyptian Madu) was in Upper Egypt about 8 km east-north from Thebes (Luxor). The names of the religious cults cults in ancient Egypt indicated the number of the gods worshipped in the cult and the location of the cult center.

Menthu in Egyptian History - The Buchis Bull (the Bakha)The Buchis bull was the Egyptian holy bull of Hermonthis, the living image of the god Menthu. The Buchis bull was referred to as the Bakha. Hermonthis, now the modern town of Armant, was an important city during the period of the Middle Kingdom and the cult center of the god Menthu. The ancient god Menthu was associated with raging bulls, strength and war. The Buchis Bull at Hermonthis (the Bakha), was considered to be a living manifestation of Menthu, acting as an intermediary between the god and the ancient Egyptian people. Buchis (the Bakha) was also worshipped as a god in its own right and there was only one Buchis bull at a time. The bull was considered to have prophetic powers and was considered an oracle. Food was offered to the Bakha bull and if it took the offering this was deemed to be a good omen. The Buchis bull (the Bakha) had a white body and a black head and was worshipped in a temple associated with Menthu in the region of Hermonthis. The temple dedicated to the worship of the bull god Buchis consisted of two chambers, one for the bull and the other for his mother and was built near the temple of Menthu. During its lifetime the Buchis bull (the Bakha) was housed in the temple and provided with the best food and the utmost care. When these bulls, or their mothers, died, they were mummified, and placed in a special cemetery known as the Bucheum. The mothers of these bulls were considered aspects of Hathor, the mother of these deities. The Bucheum was the burial place of the sacred Buchis bulls of Hermonthis and located on the desert edge, north of the city. The last burial of a Buchis bull (the Bakha) in the Bucheum at Hermonthis occurred in 340 A.D.

Menthu

Menthu

Interesting research information and Facts about the Egyptian god Menthu

Menthu, the Egyptian sun god of warfare and protector of the gods

Stories and Legends in Egyptian Mythology associated with Menthu

Facts and information about the gods and deities of of classical Egypt for schools, research and kids

Menthu, the Egyptian sun god of warfare and protector of the gods

Facts about Menthu in Egyptian MythologyDiscover interesting information and research facts about Menthu, the Egyptian sun god of warfare and protector of the gods. The facts about Menthu provides a list detailing fascinating additional info to increase your knowledge about Menthu in Egyptian Mythology.

History, Mythology and Facts about Menthu

Fact 1:

Menthu, or Montu, was seen as the counterpart, in Upper Egypt, of Re of Heliopolis.

Fact 2:

The warrior nature of Menthu made him a bull-god

Fact 3:

Menthu was important to the pharaohs of the early Middle Kingdom but was eventually replaced by Amun the highly influential god of the sun, air and the sky who emerged as a god of the Ogdoad of Hermopolis and then the Triad of Thebes.

Fact 4:

Some of the greatest generals and kings of ancient Egypt called themselves Mighty Bulls, the sons of Monthu.

Fact 5:

In the famous Battle of Kadesh, Pharaoh Ramesses II was said to have seen the enemy and "raged at them like Monthu, Lord of Thebes".

Fact 6:

Pharaohs were sometimes depicted in a likeness to Menthu

Fact 7:

Menthu would also be represented as a man with the head of a bull

Fact 8:

There were at least three great sacred bulls of the Ancient Egypt called the Apis of Memphis, Mnevis of Heliopolis and Buchis at Hermonthis (the Bakha)